Lloret's Charity Swim

It wasn't a very suitable day for taking to the sea this morning but never the less lots of people did  just that for the annual tradition of taking their first plunge of the year for charity! Well done to all those who were brave enough to take part as I'm sure that today has been the coldest we've had for some time now. Even though it was raining quite heavy just before the event there were also lots of spectators there to watch, but I should think that all those who were there this morning are now back at home with the heating on!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January sunrise in Lloret

 You need to set your alarm to capture shots like these of the early morning sunrise in Lloret!

Lloret de Mar Markets

Lloret Market

Local Spanish markets are always a huge tourist attraction for holiday makers and if you are visiting Lloret de Mar on the Costa Brava this year then you have a great choice of easy to reach markets.

Lloret Market

 Lloret's local market is held every Tuesday near to the Olympic hotel complex on the edge of town.

 From the roundabout by Lloret de Mar bus station just take the road leading out of town between the garage and the Casino Royal hotel, a steady walk will bring you to the market in about 10 minutes.

Lloret Market

Two nearby resorts also hold very good markets, you can reach these easily by bus from the bus station. Blanes market is held every Monday right on the the edge of the towns beach! To visit Blanes market just get the L1 bus at the bus station, first buying your ticket at the kiosk inside. The next market to visit is at Tossa de Mar - held on Thursdays, again buying your ticket at the kiosk before getting on the bus for Tossa de Mar. On the way to Tossa you will have some fantastic views of the coastline so don't forget to take your camera!

Blanes Market

 The largest market in the area is Tordera and is held every Sunday, when the whole town becomes one huge marketplace. Excursions to Tordera can be booked through your hotel or the Laietana office by the bus station. This market is only about 30 minutes drive from Lloret, but because of its location is not very easy to reach by public transport. 

Tordera Market

Lloret weather in January

 Just lately we are having excellent weather by the coast here in Lloret de Mar, it almost seems that summer is not too far away again! Temperatures rose to 22ºc over the weekend, but I'm sure that we will be getting colder weather before too long so until then we can enjoy the sunny dry weather and these early morning sunrise photos taken just this morning

The 3 Kings parade in Lloret

The streets were filled with excitment as the 3 kings made their way through the streets of Lloret de Mar this evening. Sweets were thrown out to everyone who were watching the parade, children were trying to catch as many sweets as they could  as the kings went by.

 From the start of their journey at the Town Hall they were slowly making their way to the sports pavilion where even more little excited faces would have been waiting to see the 3 kings.

Tomorrow morning the Spanish children will be waking early to see if they have received the gifts asked for in their letter to the kings, hopefully if they have been good then they will get what they asked for but if not then they may only receive a piece of coal! 

 

 

 

 

 

Barretina Closes

 The oldest bodega in Lloret de Mar has sadly closed. Many of  Fiona's (above left) customers and friends joined her to have a last drink in the bar last night. She has been in the bar for 14 years, and she is now handing back the keys to the owners who are now looking for someone else to run the bodega. 

Fiona will be there this morning just to open up for a few hours to let her old Catalan customers just have one last game of cards!

We all wish Fiona   good luck for the future in whatever she chooses to do next. 

Lloret's Diorames

 On show until the 12th January in Lloret is a nice little collection of Diorames, these are miniature scale models of nativity scenes. They can be seen in the small chapel next to 'Gerry's Bar' so if you are taking a walk around Lloret they are well worth a viewing as so much detail and work has gone into each one. 

Xmas Market in Magnolia Square!

 A small  Xmas market has been held in Magnolia Square this week (near to Gerry's bar) in Lloret, items on sale were toys for the children, hand knitted goodsand homemade cupcakes. It seems that they are trying to breathe some life into this part of town as the square has been given a new facelift this year with new raised plant beds, a great childrens play area and nice wooden benches. Some locals were afraid that the famous Magnolia tree would be cut down to make way for the new playground but I'm glad to say it has survived! 

Merry Christmas from Lloret

I'd like to wish a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

to all readers of Lloret de Mar Stuff. The blog will be 7 years old on 31st December 2005, since then there have been a total 698 different postings about Lloret de Mar covering just about every event and happening you could think of with lots more to come next year!

Thanks to everyone for their support and comments during that time...Jackie x

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A great restaurant in Lloret de Mar!

We have found another fantastic place to eat in Lloret de Mar, this restaurant is the Al Freskito and one of those places you must try! Locals in town will remember this restaurant as the 'Chang Chen' so don't be deceived by the Chinese style entrance, as the new owner have given it a beautiful refit inside and is now one of the best looking places in town - which is building up a very good name for itself. At this time of year when the town is very quiet the restaurant was quite busy so I think word is getting round about how good this place is!
We went along with friends for the restaurants 'menu del dia' only yesterday and I'm pleased to say there wasn't a chip in sight! At only €9 per head we not only had the usual 3 courses with wine and bread but also were offered an entrant of either a small salad or a consomme. Each of the courses were extremely well presented and there were some unusual items on the menu - I can recommend the slices of beef cooked with cava and melon balls accompanied by asparagus!!

Looking back to 2012

As another year is nearly over I'd just like to wish you all a very happy Christmas and all the very best for 2013. Here we have a quick reminder of  2012 in  Lloret de Mar (plus a few shots of Barcelona)!